Harry & Meghan Reportedly Set To Spend Christmas In The UK (But Not With The Royal Family)
After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's last days as working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California in June 2020. Since then, they haven't been frequent visitors to the U.K. While Harry has made a few trips on his own, Meghan only joined him for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral where Harry and Meghan's seating arrangement raised eyebrows. That might change this year. They apparently have an invitation to come to England for the holidays, but not from King Charles III and the rest of the royals. Instead, Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, has reportedly asked the Sussexes, kids included, to celebrate with them at Althorp, the Spencer family home where Diana grew up.
It would be the first time that Lilibet — Harry and Meghan's youngest child — would get a chance to celebrate Christmas in England, and it could be a sweet way for the Sussexes to connect with that side of the family. However, we don't yet know whether Harry and Meghan are planning to attend, but at least they got an invite.
Harry and Meghan might turn down a U.K. Christmas invite no matter who it's from
The Spencer invitation might be the only British holiday invite that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get this year. The Christmas gathering for the royal family is at Sandringham where Queen Elizabeth II had all sorts of traditions that she planned, many of which we're sure still live on today. However, considering that Harry and Prince William are still feuding, it may be unlikely that Harry and Meghan will be getting a Christmas invitate to Sandringham. The full family event often involves walking to the nearby church, and it would draw quite the crowd if Harry, Meghan, and their two kids were there.
Even if King Charles did extend an invite to his youngest son for Christmas, Harry and Meghan might still give it a pass. Along with the bad blood between them and many of the other royals, Harry is particularly worried about security for his family while in the U.K. After he and Meghan stepped back from royal duty, the Sussexes did not get to keep the same level of security. The couple are also trying to give their children as ordinary a childhood as possible by keeping them away from the paparazzi, which would be hard to do in the U.K. given the high level of interest around the Sussexes.